NO DOUBT many Penarth residents and visitors enjoy going for a stroll – and why not, when we are blessed with such a lovely town, attractive marina and some excellent coffee shops, restaurants and pubs?

However, it is quite sickening to see the amount of litter on the streets because it is easier to drop it than find a bin.

Then there is the issue of people regularly putting their black bags out on the wrong week, leaving them for the seagulls, cats and rats to rip open and scatter the contents, because the bin men certainly will not take them.

Finally, and I doubt it is my imagination, the amount of dog poo on the pavements and grassy borders seems once more to be rapidly on the increase.

Residents and business people of Glebe Street, Arcot Street and surrounding areas must be driven to despair by the selfish, thoughtless people who allow this mess to be caused outside their front doors.

The problem of litter and dog poo will never go away until people are caught, prosecuted and made an example.

Many councils in the UK are considering or implementing DNA databases for dogs, as this is the most foolproof way of finding the owner of a dog, and which can also be used for strays, missing animals and dog attacks.

What has happened to the litter wardens which our council recently shouted about from the rooftops in a blaze of publicity? Assuming they do exist, I have yet to see one of them in Penarth.

Wake up, Penarth council, summer is coming (I hope) and, with the warmth of the sunshine more people will be getting out and about for a walk.

I and many others would really appreciate not having to put up with seeing litter everywhere, or continually watching where we step on the pavements, especially when our council rates and police precept are rising so dramatically.

Ian Norton

Chandlers Way

Penarth Marina